[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 25 (Thursday, February 6, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6915-6916]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02379]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Alaska Region 
Crab Permits

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written or on-line comments must be 
submitted on or before April 6, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Adrienne Thomas, PRA Officer, 
NOAA, 151 Patton Avenue, Room 159, Asheville, NC 28801 (or via the 
internet at [email protected]). All comments received are part of the 
public record. Comments will generally be posted without change. All 
Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address) 
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do 
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Doug Duncan, National Marine Fisheries Service, P.O. Box 
21668, Juneau, AK, 99802-1668; 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is requesting 
extension of a currently approved information collection for the Crab 
Rationalization Program (CR Program). The information being collected 
is necessary for NMFS to manage the CR Program.
    NMFS manages the king and Tanner crab fisheries in the exclusive 
economic zone of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands under the Fishery 
Management Plan for Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands King and Tanner 
Crabs (FMP). The North Pacific Fishery Management Council prepared the 
FMP under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
as amended in 2006. Regulations implementing the FMP and the CR Program 
appear at 50 CFR part 680. Information on the CR Program is posted on 
the NMFS Alaska Region website at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/sustainable-fisheries/bering-sea-and-aleutian-islands-bsai-crab-rationalization-program.
    NMFS established the CR Program as a catch share program for nine 
crab fisheries in the BSAI and assigned quota share (QS) to persons and 
processor quota share (PQS) to processors based on their historic 
participation in one or more of these nine crab fisheries during a 
qualifying period. Under the CR Program, share allocations to 
harvesters and processors and incentives to participate in fishery 
cooperatives increase efficiencies, provide economic stability, and 
facilitate compensated reduction of excess capacities in the harvesting 
and processing sectors. Community interests are protected by Western 
Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) allocations, regional landing 
and processing requirements, and other measures.
    CR Program components include QS allocation, PQS allocation, 
individual fishing quota (IFQ) issuance, individual processing quota 
(IPQ) issuance, quota transfers, use caps, crab harvesting 
cooperatives, protections for Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries, QS/
PQS matching, an arbitration system, monitoring, economic data 
collection, and cost recovery fee collection.
    This information collection contains the forms used by participants 
in the CR Program to apply for or renew permits; transfer or lease IFQ, 
IPQ, QS, or PQS; and apply for exemption from regional delivery 
requirements. This information collection also contains the following 
reports for which no collection forms are used:
     The North or South Region Delivery Exemption Report is 
submitted by IFQ holders who signed a preseason application. This 
report provides NMFS with the means to assess how the industry is 
exercising the exemption opportunity and whether implementing 
regulations are sufficient to meet the Council's Statement of Intent 
for Amendment 41 to the FMP.
     The Community Impact Report or IPQ Holder Report is 
submitted by a community entity or IPQ holder, respectively, and 
provides documentation needed by NMFS to evaluate the efficacy of 
privately administered contracts.
     The CDQ Group Notification of Community Representative is 
submitted by the CDQ groups representing Saint Paul and Saint George to 
designate to NMFS a single entity as the regional representative for 
these two communities.
     The Eligible Crab Community Organization (ECCO) Annual 
Report is submitted by the ECCO. It details the use of the crab QS and 
IFQ and is intended to ensure that the ECCO maintains the QS and IFQ to 
benefit residents of eligible communities.

II. Method of Collection

    Information is collected primarily via mail, fax, or email. The 
following may be submitted online through eFISH on the NMFS Alaska 
Region website: The Application for Transfer (Lease) of Crab IPQ, the 
Application for Transfer of IFQ between Crab Harvesting Cooperatives, 
and renewals of registered crab receiver permits and Federal crab 
vessel permits.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0514.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a current information collection.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; 
Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 575.
    Estimated Time per Response: 20 hours each for Application for 
Exemption from CR Crab North or South Region Delivery Requirements, and 
North or South Region Delivery Exemption Report; 15 hours for 
Application for Annual Crab Harvesting Cooperative Individual Fishing 
Quota Permit; 5 hours for CDQ Group Notification of Community 
Representative; 4 hours each for ECCO Annual Report and to file an 
appeal; 2.5 hrs each for Application for Annual Crab IFQ Permit, and 
Application to Become an ECCO; 2 hours each for Application for Annual 
Crab IPQ

[[Page 6916]]

Permit, Application for Transfer of Crab QS, Application for Transfer 
of Crab PQS, Application for Transfer (Lease) of Crab IFQ, Application 
for CR Program Eligibility to Receive QS/PQS or IFQ/IPQ by Transfer, 
Application for Annual Exemption from Western Aleutian Islands Golden 
King Crab West Region Delivery Requirements, Community Impact Report or 
IPQ Holder Report, and Application for Transfer of Crab QS/IFQ to or 
from an ECCO; 1 hour for Application for BSAI Crab Hired Master 
(Skipper) Permit; 30 minutes each for Application for Registered Crab 
Receiver Permit, Application for Converted CPO QS and CPO IFQ, and BSAI 
Crab Rationalization Program QS Beneficiary Designation Form; 21 
minutes for Application for Federal Crab Vessel Permit; 1 hour for 
electronic response and 2 hours for non-electronic response for 
Application for Transfer (Lease) of Crab IPQ; and 5 minutes for 
electronic response and 10 minutes for non-electronic response for 
Application for Transfer of IFQ between Crab Harvesting Cooperatives.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,007.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $3,330 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-02379 Filed 2-5-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P